34
WE’VE
DISCOVERED
THE SECRET
OF LIFE
THE ROLE OF DNA
T
he discovery of the structure
of DNA (deoxyribonucleic
acid) in 1953 is one of
the most important scientific
breakthroughs to date. It offered
the key to understanding the very
building blocks of life and explained
how genetic information is stored
and transferred. Englishman Francis
Crick and American James Watson
famously celebrated their joint
discovery in a low-key fashion
at their local pub in Cambridge,
followed by a letter published in
the journal Nature. Their discovery
had enormous potential for scientific
advances and had an important
impact on many fields of research,
from medicine to forensic science,
taxonomy, and agriculture. The
ramifications of their work still
reverberate today, as methods ofIN CONTEXT
KEY FIGURES
Francis Crick (1916–2004),
Rosalind Franklin (1920 –
58), James Watson (1928–),
Maurice Wilkins (1916–2004)BEFORE
1910–29 US biochemist
Phoebus Levene describes the
chemical components of DNA.1944 US researchers Oswald
Avery, Colin Macleod, and
Maclyn McCarty show that
DNA determines inheritance.AFTER
1990 British researchers,
led by embryologist Ian
Wilmut, successfully clone
an adult mammal—a sheep
na me d D ol ly.2003 Scientists complete
the mapping of the entire
human genome.US_034-037_The_role_of_DNA.indd 34 12/11/18 6:24 PM